Employee Ambassadorship: Optimizing Customer-Centric Behavior from the Inside-Out and Outside-In

A number of studies have revealed a correlation between employee attitudes about their companies and the degree of value customers attribute to the company. This phenomenon is called employee ambassadorship, a state beyond satisfaction and engagement where all employees are focused on, and tasked with, delivering customer value as part of their job description, irrespective of location, function or level. This book will describe and investigate this phenomenon and demonstrate how it can be used to add value to the customer experience.

“Although I have always touted that companies should put the customers first, this can only happen if a company puts its employees first. A company is its employees! Michael Lowenstein does an excellent job in showing why and how your company needs to build employee ambassadors.” — Philip Kotler, S. C. Johnson Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

“If ‘Only 24 percent of employees consider themselves truly loyal, committed to their organization and its goals, and planning to stay two years,’ how is it possible for an organization to train and motivate its employees to deliver quality customer value and experiences? Human Resources departments often have their own annual employee surveys, but those studies fail to model the critical relationship between employee attitudes and customer behavior. Michael Lowenstein’s book fills a sorely needed gap in this area. The book helps identify linkages between employee commitment and the customer experience, and provides management with the tools and wisdom required to motivate a work force to become true employee ambassadors”. —Terry H. Grapentine, customer experience and marketing research consultant

“Any company or manager wanting the many benefits of customer-oriented employees should read this book. It is full of practical concepts and techniques. Michael Lowenstein effectively explains and offers guidance for developing, and keeping, employee ambassadors who turn customers into advocates.” — Jochen Wirtz, Professor and Vice Dean, Graduate Studies and Director, UCLA-National University of Singapore Executive MBA Program:

“The number one impact on customer relations is employee relations. Michael Lowenstein has captured the power, promise and pragmatics for turning employees into strong ambassadors for the brand, smart scouts for insights, and shrewd solutions-seekers for today’s picky, fickle and vocal customers.” — Chip R. Bell, service and customer value innovation consultant; author of Kaleidoscope: Delivering Innovative Service That Sparkle

“The concept of creating employee ambassadors is a very powerful one. Existing and new customers want to do business with companies that have highly motivated employees. In Employee Ambassadorship, Michael Lowenstein gives a number of practical suggestions in how to achieve this and includes ways of measuring performance that goes well beyond the conventional. The customer experience is inexorably tied to developing a highly motivated and strategically aligned employee culture, where all know their value and can represent their organization as true ambassadors.” – Joel Vardy, innovation/change management strategy consultant; Adjunct Professor in Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, Temple University

“Michael Lowenstein’s Employee Ambassadorship goes beyond traditional theories with outstanding insight on the linkages between employee experience, customer experience and business results. The ideas in are supported with real numbers and brilliantly illustrated with memorable anecdotes and case-studies. This is a must read for everyone involved in organizational effectiveness, and anyone who wants their business to make a profit.” – Sean Belding, customer experience consultant, and author of Winning With The Customer From Hell: A Survival Guide, and Win At Work: Navigate the Nasties, Get Things Done, and Get Ahead

“Check out this commonly-overlooked leadership fundamental: Your company must now engineer employee behavior in terms of customer experience. All too often, employee performance metrics focus on job function and product fulfillment while overlooking the most critical requirement, customer-centricity. In this book, Michael Lowenstein develops a rich conceptual framework for what he calls employee ambassadorship. His razor-sharp focus on connecting every employee to the customer will inspire you and your colleagues to rally, and the best practices he lays out will guide your practical implementation.”- Eric Siegel, Ph.D., founder of Predictive Analytics World, and author of Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die

“I have been an admirer of Michael Lowenstein’s thought-leadership in customer loyalty and customer experience for years. His newest book, Employee Ambassadorship, is one of the most thought-provoking and valuable works I have read on this subject. While there have been numerous books written on the subject, Employee Ambassadorship is not only an easy read, complete with graphics and case studies, but an equally detailed text book test based on research and Michael’s vast experience examining all aspects of successful organizations outlining what works and what doesn’t. He questions old paradigm thinking and provides readers new questions to ponder, explaining how, when all employees understand how their role ultimately contributes to customer loyalty success, each becomes an ambassador. His book will open doors and change corporate cultures to rethink how they measure, appraise and infuse stakeholder-centricity through-out the organization that will spell success.?Thumps up! Well done!” – Richard Shapiro, Founder & President, The Center For Client Retention, author of, The Endangered Customer: Eight Steps to Guarantee Repeat Business